A/N: this update in no one reflects or detracts from my involvement with the Black Lives Matter movement. Self care is important in activism and it's necessary that we take breaks to ensure we don't burn out. If you need any resources or book/documentary podcasts to educate yourself, please don't be afraid to reach out. Also, I am still angry at Ryan Guzman, but I'm going to try to distance the character of Eddie from him. Finally, I do feel a bit uneasy about shining a positive light on police so I will be focusing solely on EMT/nurses/firefighters. Thank you for understanding.
The smile on Mariana's face as she approached the table would be one that Bobby Nash described as her "cat ate the canary" look. With a clipboard clutched in her hands and a pen tucked behind her ear, she looked less like a devious mastermind and more like a PTO member.
"Y'know what I love about being the engineer on this shift? I get to choose who cleans the truck and checks it with me. Eddie and Buck, you're the lucky victims- I mean, lucky guys for this shift," she announced. Hen and Chimney shared equal grins but those faded once Mari pointed her finger at them.
"You two are next shift. C'mon boys, let's go!"
"You are the worst. I hate you. I can't believe I let you treat me like this," Buck moaned as they followed her to the apparatus bay.
"Alright, we're starting with inventory of the tools which you two can handle while I check pressure gauges and oxygen. Thank you for being such willing helpers!"
"She's evil," Buck muttered, making Eddie chuckle under his breath. Mariana turned to glare at him and the two men immediately started opening compartments and checking equipment, pretending they didn't see her.
They were just finished with the checklist when the alarm rang out about a woman's head stuck in a tailpipe. Mariana was just as confused driving there as she was once they saw the actual scene. Drunken idiots were all over the place, even though it was three in the afternoon, and they were all surrounding the girl who was kneeled down with her head stuck in a massive tailpipe. Mariana worked with a lot of cars in her life but she had never seen such a massive tailpipe. It was honestly laughably stupid.
"What's her name?" Chimney asked.
"Betty." "Jennifer!" "Sorry, I thought you meant my truck."
Mariana was pretty sure her eyes were looking at her brain from how hard she rolled her eyes. She kneeled down with a ruler, trying to find where to mark for Buck to cut.
"This is your truck?" Bobby asked.
"Yeah, but it's not like I backed into her. She did this out of her own free will."
"You dared her to!" her friend exclaimed.
"We were flirting!"
"Your idea of flirting with a girl is daring her to stick her head in your tailpipe?" Eddie reiterated. Buck chuckled as he slid under the truck on the creeper. Mariana marked the spot where they should cut and passed the tape to Eddie to put back in the kit. She stood up just in time to hear Bobby point out the bruises on Jennifer's arms.
"It wasn't me," the truck owner defended.
"It's from the bull. She rode it like five times," her friend stated.
Mariana looked to the heavens and prayed for a sign of more than a few brain cells existing in this place.
"Get me out of this thing!" Jennifer sang.
"These things are meant to increase the power to the engine," Buck said.
"TSA-23 saw should do the job," Mariana pointed out, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Oh yeah. Like a knife through butter."
Chimney passed Bobby a turnout coat and the saw which was promptly handed to Buck. The truck owner realized what was happening with a moment of panic.
"What?! No, I spent twelve hundred bucks on that tail pipe!"
"Man, you might wanna close your eyes. Twelve hundred? Wherever you get serviced is ripping you off," the latina said, kissing her teeth and shrugging.
"Just type your number into my phone and I'll text you so you have mine," one of Jennifer's friends told Buck.
"Do you have Snapchat?" the other asked Eddie.
"Uh no and I don't think I'm what you're looking for. I have a son."
"That's great! So do I."
"Alright, back to the circle. Let's go!" Mari shouted, gesturing for the two women to move back. She motioned for everyone to give them more room and stood guard to ensure no drunken idiot stumbled towards the saws.
"Hey! Who bought a stripper?" some guy shouted, wrapping his arm over Mari's shoulders. She pulled back, a disgusted look on her face. "C'mon baby."
"Look man, I'm just here to do my job. Back off," she snapped.
He slid his hand under her suspenders and rested it dangerously low on her waist. "Then why don't you join us after your shift?"
"I said back off." The words were low and growled out as she wiggled away from him. He reeked of booze and just the smell was bringing bad memories to the surface. The guy reached out to grab her wrist when a much larger body pushed between the two of them.
"Is there a problem here?" Eddie barked out.
"Nah man, you know how it is. Girls playing hard to get," the guy slurred.
"Nah man," Eddie scoffed. "She said back off. I don't see where that's playing hard to get."
Eddie had at least four inches on the guy and the sight of Buck coming to join them caused the guy and his friend to hightail it back into the bar.
"Thanks," she sighed as they walked towards the truck.
"No problem. Asshole should have just respected you," he bit out.
Buck jogged to catch up with them. "Is your son really the reason you won't date?"
"Does someone really need a reason for not dating?" Mari drawled out. "I don't date."
"That's because every waking moment of your life is consumed with work," Buck shot back.
"Or maybe it's because every interaction I have with guys usually turns out like the one I just had. I'm going to go help Bobby."
As they watched the brunette scurry off towards the truck, Eddie finally answered Buck's question. "That and they weren't my type."
///
Maybe she loved her trucks too much. Mariana was seated in the driver's seat of the engine truck with her feet propped up on the dash as she sifted through repair receipts and paperwork for truck inspections. She flipped to the next page as movement caught her attention. Shutting the folder, Mariana hopped out of the truck with a bright smile on her face.
"Is this the famous Christopher I've been hearing so much about?" she gasped, crouching down so she could be eye level with him. Eddie rested a hand on his son's shoulder and grinned.
"Christopher, meet Mariana. She's a paramedic and the engineer for our shift."
"You can call me Mari. All my friends do," she greeted.
"It's nice to meet you Mari," Christopher replied.
"Have you ever been in a fire truck? If your dad lets us, I'll give you a tour later."
His smile brightened and Mariana glanced up at Eddie with wide, pouting eyes. He nodded with a soft chuckle and she perked up before standing. "C'mon, everyone else is upstairs and they'd love to meet you."
Within minutes of meeting him, Christopher had the whole team laughing and joking around. His joy and laughter was infectious and Mari's sides literally ached as she leaned against Hen on the couch as Christopher roasted Chimney.
"Oh you think I do this too much?" Chimney exclaimed, motioning with his hand as if it was someone chatting.
"We all agree!" Buck cheered.
"Christopher, I thought we were buddies. What happened?"
"What's this? I don't remember asking the chief for reinforcements." Everyone quieted down at Bobby's entrance, unsure as to how it would play out. "You any good with a hose kid?"
"I can try!" Christopher exclaimed.
"Wow, one hour in and he's already stealing my job," Mariana teased which caused Christopher to descend into more giggles.
"So sorry, Cap. My aunt's trying to get off work early and I didn't know where to take him." Eddie stood to face Bobby looking sheepish and a bit nervous.
"Yeah you did. Right here. Buck and Mari gave me a heads up, I already cleared it with the chief."
The bell cut off the conversation with its sharp ring and everyone hurried to move downstairs. Mariana ruffled Christopher's hair as she passed and Eddie shot her a grateful look. She simply shrugged and headed for the firepole, a small smile playing on her lips.
As Mariana drove them towards the accident, Chimney explained how their headsets worked to Christopher. "These are great, see? It's so we can talk together. But sometimes, I wish I had a mute button for Buck."
In response, Buck leaned up and pressed the button for the horn as Mariana swatted at him.
"Oh, I'm sorry, you were saying something?" "Evan, if you lay a hand on my buttons without permission ONE more time-!"
///
Mariana slid out from under the truck and held out her hand. "Wrench." The tool landed in her hand and she rolled back under, pointing at the bolt she needed to tighten before they were done.
"See that? If that grew any looser, we'd have some problems on the road. My job is to make sure the truck is in tip top shape everyday," she explained. Christopher nodded from his spot on the creeper next to her. She tightened the bolt and then started to slide back out, pulling Christopher with her. Eddie sat patiently next to her tool box, watching as the two emerged from under the fire truck. Mariana helped Christopher sit up, smiling at the huge grin on his face.
"I don't know what I would do without this amazing mechanic!" she declared. "Christopher, have you been working on cars recently?"
"My dad teaches me when he works on his truck."
Mari glanced over at Eddie and winked at him before focusing on Christopher. "I wish my dad taught me. I learned by watching others at car races. Now, I think there's something in the ambulance for you...let me go check."
She jogged over to the ambulance and opened the passenger door, reaching into the glove box and pulling something out. Spinning on her heels, Mariana revealed the teddy bear in her hands.
"I keep these around because I have one as my guardian angel. He helped me through a lot so...I want you to have one. As kind of a reminder. The 118 has your back always. If there's anything you need, ever, you just let me know."
Christopher hugged her in thanks and Mariana's normally cold disposition completely melted away. Eddie had never seen such a warm smile on her face and he really did not know what to do with the rush of emotion that filled his chest at the sight of the two hugging.
Christopher's time at the firehouse ended when his aunt came to pick him up. They had just helped him down the firepole when Pepa appeared in between the trucks.
"Fun's over," Eddie sighed.
"Bye Christopher!" "Later bud!" "See ya!" "Bye!" Various farewells echoed through the firehouse as Eddie grabbed his crutches and the teddy bear leaning against them and helped Christopher walk towards Pepa.
"Good job today kiddo," Bobby declared.
"You too Cap!" Christopher's response made Mari grin and bump shoulders with Buck. He really was the cutest kid alive.
Eddie spun around and pulled Bobby in for a tight hug before pulling back. "Thank you Cap."
Everyone scattered around the firehouse doing work, playing games, or working out. Mari poured herself a cup of tea and sat at the main table with a book and a stack of files she needed to work through. Settling back in her chair, she started on the first file, studying the foster kid's story before her. She worked as a liaison for the group and read over case files for the older kids who were about to age out. Her job was to help prep them for trade school or college applications and help them with scholarships while also providing support. So, she read their case files and then would meet them for coffee or something to get them out of the "foster kid" mentality and then she would help them through the admissions process.
The chair on the other side of the table pulled back and Eddie settled himself in it. She shut the file in front of her and leaned back in her chair, waiting for him to speak. He shook his head and leaned forward, clasping his hands together on top of the table.
"How are you just so good with kids?" he asked. Her lips quirked up into a small smile and she let out a breathy laugh, reaching up and pulling off her ponytail holder. Her dark hair spilled over her shoulder and she nervously pulled at the strands, quickly and effortlessly pulling her hair back into a french braid.
"I grew up in a not so great part of south LA. It was the only thing my parents could afford. They spent all their money coming to America and so we lived in this tiny two bedroom house. But we were happy. Until a drunk driver t-boned us in the middle of daylight and killed my father on impact."
She bit her lip, a mess of emotions swirling in her gaze. Part of her was screaming to shut up and leave. To throw some snarky remark at him and run for the hills. But part of her was begging to be open. She thought of the scars on her body and how they were a reminder of how many times she survived. Mari settled her shoulders and nodded to herself.
"My mother couldn't raise us herself and she had no family here. Our only family was in Texas. Austin, not El Paso. I was raised by the community. Being one of the older kids, I helped take care of my brother and a lot of the other younger kids. But my mom couldn't handle it and she took her life. So Luis and I were in foster care for three years until my Tia Valentina, my dad's sister, decided that she actually wanted to do something with us. That's a long story but anyways, I volunteer with foster kids at a group home and at a homeless shelter. Adults are messy. Kids are innocent. I...didn't get that chance, so I try to make sure they get to be kids just a little longer."
He leaned back and stared at her with an unreadable expression before he let out a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry you had to go through all that."
"I shouldn't have had to, but it made me stronger," she admitted.
"How often do you volunteer?"
"About once or twice a week for a few hours."
"On top of this and nursing? Damn, Ramirez. You're a badass."
She rolled her eyes and tossed her pen at him which he caught easily. "I'm just doing my part. Christopher is an amazing kid by the way. I get what you mean by goofy. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time."
The grin on his face grew. "He really is, huh?"
"If you need any help getting someone to look after him during shifts, I can call some of my contacts. I know plenty of people in the child care and medical industry. Just let me know. Medical bureaucracy is a bitch."
"Thank you mariposa."
She perked up at the nickname and tilted her head to the side like a confused puppy. Eddie pointed at the binder clip holding her folders together that was the shape of a butterfly.
"Your name is Mari and you like butterflies. Mariposa. It fits."
"And here Evan's been calling me an asshole this whole time."
///
"Do you...do you think about it a lot?" Chimney asked.
Mariana settled down on the bench next to him and sighed. They had a horrible call with the victim being crushed in an escalator after he proposed to his girlfriend. No matter what Chimney or Mariana did, they couldn't save him.
"I think about it every day," she admitted. "I have nightmares of the shooting. Every small bang. Every raised voice. I think about it all the time."
"Do you think about how we almost died? We were so close yet we lived. What about him? He should have lived just like we did."
"Maybe he should have. But we can't decide or change who lives or who dies. Whatever guardian angel decided to save us had hope and faith that we could move on and grow from it. I'm...I'm not so angry anymore. But I am scarred and damaged. But these scars...these reminders...they're indications that we survived. We got a second chance. So let's live the life we were destined to live."
He pulled her into a hug, tears building in his eyes. Mari gently pulled back and rested her hand on his shoulder before jerking her head towards Bobby who was standing in the doorway. "I think somebody wants to talk to you."
"Thanks, Mari."
"Anytime."
She exited the locker room and spotted Buck lifting weights. Waving her hand, she called his attention and sidled up next to him.
"I have a plan and I need your help."
///
"I thought you said we were helping your sister move. Doesn't look like she's packed anything," Eddie said as he glanced around Buck's apartment. Mariana glanced up from her spot on the couch and smirked at Buck.
"All this stuff is Abby's," Buck admitted. "I lied about the whole moving thing. I mean, my sister is moving, it's just...she doesn't really have that much stuff."
"What's going on, Buck?"
"I asked you here because there's someone I want you to meet."
"WE want you to meet," Mariana corrected. She stood up from the couch and joined them, crossing her arms over her chest as she shot Buck a glare.
"You didn't set me up, did you?" Eddie sighed.
"Just trust me. This woman is exactly what you need."
Eddie glanced over at the honey-eyed latina and doubted Buck's statement. Before he could protest, someone knocked on the door and Buck excitedly went to answer it.
"Buckaroo!" Carla exclaimed once he opened the door. The short woman pulled him into a hug and then spied Mariana standing behind him. She pulled away from Buck and yanked Mari into a tight hug.
"Look at you! You look so much better than the last time I saw you!" Carla cheered and Mari chuckled.
"Well, I was near death the last time you saw me." Carla had visited her when she was recuperating in the hospital and came over to Buck's to help with the healing process. Mari had been so busy since coming back to work that they hadn't been able to catch up over coffee.
"Eddie, this is our friend Carla," she explained, turning to see him enter the kitchen.
"Nice to meet you, Eddie," Carla greeted as she shook his hand.
"Likewise."
"Carla is LA's finest home healthcare aide. She has years of experience navigating giant bureaucracies and we thought she could help you figure out how to get Christopher what he needs," Buck said.
"I'm red tape's worst nightmare," Carla joked. "I'll get you through this in no time. Now let's go sit down and see what you're working with, besides that perfect bone structure."
Mari snorted as she passed the boys and followed Carla into the living room, joining her at the dinner table as they began to chatter about hospital bureaucracy and life.
"It was Mari's idea. I just did the heavy lifting," Buck explained to Eddie as they watched the women chat.
"She's a good person."
"Man, she's the best."